


A Rose By Any Other Name

by Angel_of_Brahma



Series: RoseVerse [1]
Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: BC I suck at nicknames, Based off Murderous Mask, Cass is sassy, Cecil still calls Dahlia Junebug, Dahlia's Maiden name is Summers, I'm well aware the title is unoriginal, I.e. she's great, Other, Rose!verse, Roseverse, She's basically if Rex Glass and Rita fought it out to gain possession of a person, This is not a Ben Lives AU, Venus Summers is my Rita stand in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 23:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16439156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_of_Brahma/pseuds/Angel_of_Brahma
Summary: A 'How They Met' fic for the RoseVerse (based loosely off Murderous Mask)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LetheMedeaTranquility](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetheMedeaTranquility/gifts), [A_Small_Town_Girl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Small_Town_Girl/gifts).



Dahlia Summers is no mafia's bitch.

The concept of eternal debt and belonging entirely to someone else disgusts and terrifies him.

He has something better. Family. Loyalty. Connections. 

A masquerade ball at the Kanagawa mansion. An adopted sister fussing over his hair a few hours before. An opportunity. 

"Now, remember, doll," Venus instructed before they'd left the car, "Play nice. Have fun, don't be afraid to make a few friends! Just remember why we're here-" 

"The mask." Dahlia nodded, "Right."

"I'll replace the footage with old footage of the room being empty," Venus explained, "And link the live-feed from the camera to my Comms to keep an eye on you. If you need me, you know how to find me."

"What time-"

"Give it an hour." She winked at her brother, "No point in this being all business."

Dahlia sighed.

"I think those Kanagawa twins have a thing for you." She teased.

"Not interested." He shot back.

"Not even a little?"

"Just because Cassandra is your crush of the week-" Dahlia chided.

Venus gasped, hand on her heart in mock-betrayal.

"You wound me, baby brother." She exclaimed.

Dahlia rolled his eyes, a grin breaking apart his sardonic demeanor.

"We ready to go?"

"Almost."

Venus pulled down the car's mirror, reapplying her ruby red lipstick with expert precision. She slid on her mask - a dainty, intricate thing, and turned to her brother.

"How do I look?" She asked expectantly.

Dahlia smiled. He had always admired his sister for this. She had a style uncaptured by time, a beauty beyond ages and an aura no one could replicate. He was always in awe of her, often wishing some of her elegance would rub off on him.

Tonight, she wore something simple; a figure hugging emerald dress with matching heels. A string of pearls was wrapped around her neck. Undeniably, she was beautiful.

"Like always." Dahlia remarked nonchalantly.

"So, just perfectly  _ marvelous _ ?" Venus asked, drawling out every syllable.

"You got it, sis."

Venus smiled warmly, handing her brother his mask. It was black, just as intricate as Venus' but more sturdy. More functional.

They'd worn similar outfits upon Venus' request, but while her's was all greens, Dahlia's was deep blues, like the evening sky after sunset. He'd skipped the pearls, opting for a family heirloom - a ring - on a chain around his neck. He'd kept the heels. 

They stepped out of the car, heels clacking against the rain-soaked pavement. The street-lamps cast the Kanagawa mansion in an amber glow. The sky was clear, not parting way to stars but to the full moon. 

Dahlia knew that, somewhere, in one of those many rooms, lay the Death Mask of Grimpothuthis. He knew how the get it. Hell, he even knew how to open the DNA locks on the front of the Mask's display case. He was born for this.

Before that, however, came the party.

They were greeted at the door by two guards. Nondescript, wearing black suits and black sunglasses. They were lead through a darkened corridor until they reached a door. It was flung open, the music and light flooding Dahlia's senses. The room was crowded with the criminal underground's finest, all dressed to the nines. Each and every person wore a mask. A charade of anonymity. The ceiling was high, with a chandelier dangling far beyond reach. Heels and dress shoes clicked on the tiled floor, barely heard above the murmur of conversation and the music. Couples dancing, skirts swirling, old friends giggling over glasses of champagne. It was enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed, but they felt at home here.

"Dahlia!"

The call came from the tall young man approaching him, dark eyes glimmering behind his mask.

Behind trailed his sister, looking somewhat reluctant to be there. They were both in red; the man in a suit and the girl in a ballgown. They were a marvelous pair 

"How are you, Cecil?" Dahlia asked.

Cecil grinned, every part of his childlike enthusiasm painfully genuinely. Dahlia  _ should _ have liked him. He was charming, but there was always something...  _ off _ about him. Something about his eyes that hinted that the crowd were one wrong move away from getting shot. Dahlia couldn't trust that.

"Better now you're here, Junebug." Cecil said.

Dahlia gritted his teeth. He despised that nickname. Venus gave him a wary glance. Her words resonated in his head. 

_ 'Play Nice' _ .

He forced a smile.

"It's my pleasure, Cecil." He mustered.

Before he could say anymore, Venus swung in, gracefully taking both Cecil's hands. Dahlia made a note to thank her later.

"My dear Cecil," she said, all feigned romance, "You look radiant as ever!"

Cass and Dahlia met eyes, both wishing their siblings were less flamboyant.

"Not like you to be in a dress," Dahlia remarked, "Cecil's idea?"

"Min's." Cassandra said, voice dripping with contempt, "She insisted I  _ 'dress like a lady for once' _ , whatever the fuck that means."

"Doesn't surprise me. How is she?"

"How do you think?" Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Same catty bitch as usual, then?" Dahlia grinned. 

He liked Cassandra. She was probably his only friend at these galas, and he didn't doubt she felt the same. That wasn't to say he trusted her. Dahlia reminded himself that the only person in Hyperion he could trust was Venus.

Cass let out a short bark of a laugh. She swept a lock of dark hair behind her ear.

"Not wrong there, kid." Cass sounded wistful or regretful. Dahlia couldn't tell which.

"What's wrong?"

Cass sighed.

"I don't want to talk about it." Cass said resolutely.

Dahlia gave Cass a look.

"Look, Dahlia!" Cass snapped, "This is just personal, okay?"

"Still, I'd like to -" Dahlia put a hand on Cass' shoulder. It was instantly swatted away.

"Listen," Cass' voice was stone, she wouldn't give in, "There are some mysteries you just... Don't want to solve." 

She spun to her brother, who was deep in conversation with Venus. 

"Cecil, we should go."

Cecil looked indignant, sputtering in confusion.

"But Cass!"

Cassandra marched forward, grabbing her brother by the sleeve.

"Mother's waiting." Cassie's voice dripped with venom. She refused to meet Dahlia's eyes.

At the mention of Min, the colour drained from Cecil's face. Regardless, he still grinned at Dahlia, displaying blindingly white teeth from behind his scarlet lips.

"See you later, Junebug!" He cried.

Dahlia gave a weak smile.

"See you, Cecil." He whispered, watching the man and his sister disappearing into the encroaching crowd.

He stared ahead at where the two had stood. Venus put a light hand on his shoulder.

"Dahlia." She said softly.

"I know." Dahlia murmured. 

He reminded himself he couldn't trust the Kanagawas. He couldn't trust anyone in Hyperion,  _ especially _ if he liked them.


	2. Chapter 2

Dahlia had managed to escape upstairs to Croesus's trophy room. Even from here, he could hear the thrumming of the music. The lights were low. Everything was charcoal cast, and suitably so. Dahlia felt unnerved. From every angle he felt tombstones and sarcophagi staring him down.    
His chest felt so tight it was crushing, but he had work to do. He took a deep breath and reached in his pocket, removing two hidden glass syringes each containing a small amount of blood.    
It had been Venus' idea. Place them around Kanagawa mansion and allow the Kanagawas themselves to provide the DNA without realising. One of the samples belonged to Croesus. The other belonged to one of the twins. Dahlia didn't know which and he'd prefer to keep it that way. There was no point knowing or caring, the case would open regardless.   
He knelt before the case, fumbling with the syringes, when a man came tumbling through the window.   
Dahlia could hardly believe it. He reached for his blaster; at this point it was pure muscle memory.   
The man sprang to his feet, fixing his dark hair back into place. He wore a red suit and a floral tie, and silver glasses through which dark eyes shone. Dahlia was acutely aware of the man's beauty, but he was more aware of the knife in his breast pocket.   
He set his blaster to stun.

“Now,” Dahlia spoke, but the words weren't his own. They were the words of Sarah Summers, to…  _ who?  _ “I'd rather we didn't have your guts splattered over such  _ pretty _ wallpaper, but if you ruin this for me I won't fucking hesitate.”

The man smiled nervously, exposing needle-sharp canines.

“Apologies, darling,” The man's voice was high and fluttering, like a butterfly, “I'm afraid I may be a tad lost, you see-”

Dahlia rolled his eyes. He knew a lie when he heard one. His brother was a con man, getting away with any sin with a charming smile while he did it. The man seemed to notice this and trailed off.

“Look, I don't care what you’re here for.” Dahlia hissed, “Just don't ruin this for me.”

The man nodded, watching intently as Dahlia crouched down to open the case.

“Hidden glass syringes?” The man remarked.

“Who's asking?” Dahlia shot back.

The man chuckled.

“That would give it away, wouldn't it, Dahlia?” 

The lady's head shot up.

“Excuse me?” He whispered. His voice was ice.

The man smirked. Dahlia was starting to wonder if that vulpine smile would be his demise.

“Really now,” he began, “I don't go into any job without doing my homework, and the Kanagawas regard you very highly  _ Dahlia Summers. _ ” He let out a sigh dripping with false sympathy, “ _ Imagine _ if poor Cecil and Cassandra knew their closest friend, no - their  _ sibling _ was such a turncoat.”

Dahlia swallowed. He could hear Cecil in his head calling him  _ a brother, Junebug _ and Cass jokingly calling him  _ mom _ . He knew the man was right, no matter how much he hated it. He didn't trust him though. His eyes locked with the eye of the camera in the corner of the room. He nodded, hoping Venus would get the message.

“You have an interesting name,” The man mused, leaning against a wall, “Dahlia.  _ Dahlia.  _ They're symbolic of refinement, you know? And a committed love and-”

“Does your name mean anything?” Dahlia interjected.

The man held out his arms.

“What do you think, dear?” His voice was light, lilting, intoxicating. If Dahlia really tried he could imagine he and this man taking the mask and selling it. He could see them living a life of luxury and decadence, never looking behind them. He could envision them living a life of passion and dedication to nothing but each other, but then he remembered Sarah. His mother. There was no ways she would allow it, not after what happened to-

“Right now I'm thinking it means someone who took Psych 101 a little too seriously?”

The man let out a sharp, barking laugh.

“Very close, love,” he said, “It means romance, passion-”

At those words, the case clicked open.

As Dahlia reached for the mask, the man moved forward. Dahlia took a few steps back. 

_ Of course. He fucking wanted the mask. _ It was just his luck; this heist was too easy.  _ Something _ had to go wrong, didn't it?

To an outsider, this would have looked like a dance; a twisted little tango over a death-mask. Every move was in harmony, every breath too. Dahlia Summers had finally met his match.

The mask was in the man's hand now. He was holding it by the corner, too delicately to imagine.

“You know,” he whispered, “It doesn't have to end like this. We could sell the mask, live a life of thrills, always running- never looking back!” He took his other hand in Dahlia's, “We could have quite a time together, my love.  _ Who knows what trouble we could cause?  _ It could be  _ quite an adventure.  _ ”

Dahlia considered it for a moment. He could see the headlines- see the anger, shock and worry all cross his mother's face. It would be risky. It would be  _ worth it. _

“I'm sure it would be,” He whispered, “I wish I could join.”

The man smiled softly, softer than Dahlia felt he deserved. He pulled Dahlia into a kiss. Dahlia found his arms wrapping around the man, his eyes fluttering shut, his heart stop. He felt like nothing in the galaxy mattered besides them. 

“And this, I think, is where we part.”

He sounded mournful; Dahlia could have sworn for a moment that the man would actually  _ miss him _ .

“When you're ready to join me.”

The man slipped him a small card before slipping out the window. Dahlia could only watch him go.

He flipped over the card. It read nothing but a name.

_ Duke Rose. _

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so! This has been a long time coming, and I just firstly wanted to thank each and every one of you who stops to read this! Y'all are the real MVPs!  
> Also this work is gifted to my two close friends and betas, Lethe and Amy! You both have been wonderful and the kindest about this work and I honestly don't know how this would have been done without you both! (Also the idea of Ben being a con-man comes from Kalgalen on Tumblr! Their art is so so good lads please check it out!!!)  
> As usual, any and all feedback is appreciated, tysm folks!


End file.
